A policewoman unzips a suitcase, goes through all the contents and finds a metal article that looks like a bullet. The whole process takes only one minute and 50 seconds.

Three policemen rush to a suspect car. It takes them about two minutes to finish searching the engine, the trunk and chassis for dangerous items.

These are not routine security checks, they are police exercises for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

As Beijing gets ready to host the World Junior Athletics Championships and the World Women's Softball Championships widely regarded as rehearsals for the 2008 Games the city's police are stepping up preparations for any security emergencies.

At Chaoyang Sports Centre, police have given the National Athletics Competition a taste of Olympic security since the event started on July 1. The centre is where the World Junior Athletics Championships will take place from August 15.

At the venue's security control centre, security staff use a bank of television monitors to keep an eye on all events and the stands, as well as nearby roads.

According to Chinese media reports, Feng Yonglin, a leading police official in Chaoyang District, said this is the first time such a control centre is monitoring the surrounding area with real-time images, adding that the video footage is available to the city's public security control network.

"All the images can be transmitted to the municipal public security bureau and all the district sub-bureaux," Jiang told Beijing Youth Daily. "Previously, we could only communicate by radio."

The external walls of the sports centre are also part of the security system.

"When there is trespassing, the system will alert us and the security cameras will follow the suspect until he is brought under control," Feng said.

According to him, the range of supervision during events could extend to as much as 10 kilometres from the venue.

In order to meet high Olympic security requirements, security checks have, for the first time, been installed at the outside gates of the sports centre, instead of at the stadium's entrances.

"We have installed X-ray equipment and guard posts by every gate of the sports centre," said a member of the security staff.

Testing ground

The World Women's Softball Championships, which will be held on August 27, will be another test for Olympic security.

Due to be held at Fengtai Softball Field, the venue for the Olympic softball events in 2008, the championships also require strict Olympic-style security.

For the event, the Olympic Security Control Centre has set up seven departments to take the charge of all aspects of the work, such as the venues, participants' accommodation and transportation.

"The security level of the softball championships has been decided as level B, according to factors such as ticket sales," said Cao Dongxiang, vice-director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Public Order Management Unit. Cao added that the facilities have been completed and all security measures are in place.

Security for these two events requires about 650 police officers and 1,074 other personnel, with a total budget of 6 million yuan (US$751,000), according to media reports.

In order to ensure the highest possible standard of security at the Games, the training of police officers covering the Olympics started in April.

The training will take place in three stages.

Zhao Yuan, chief of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Education and Training Division, said that, until the end of this year, training would focus on basic skills and physical fitness. "Next year, officers will receive training in simulated conditions, while in 2008, field training will take place at Olympic venues."

Zhao added that the officers will receive training tailored to their specific duties.

She noted that language skills are important part of the training, pointing out that police in the capital started to receive instruction in foreign languages in 2001.

Apart from professional security forces, student volunteers will be involved in the security work for the first time at the two championships this year.

"All the student volunteers come from the Capital University of Economics and Business," said Feng. "They will be responsible for the work such as maintaining the order at the entrances and checking tickets."

The volunteers will be the first to step in whenever any disturbances break out among spectators, added Feng.

Apart from these preparations, some new technologies will be used to guarantee a high level of security at the Beijing Olympics.

As reported by the Beijing News, a "face recognition system" will be installed in about 500 shopping centres in Beijing before 2008 and a "wireless labels" will be used on all athletes' luggage.

(China Daily July 14, 2006)